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_/ XMM-NEWTON NEWS #27 --- 20-Dec-2002 _/
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ESA, XMM-Newton Science Operations Centre at
Villafranca del Castillo, Satellite Tracking Station
P.O. Box - Apdo. 50727, 28080 Madrid, Spain
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SOC Home Page:
http://xmm.vilspa.esa.es/
Helpdesk web interface:
http://xmm.vilspa.esa.es/external/xmm_user_support/helpdesk.shtml
Helpdesk email address:
xmmhelp@xmm.vilspa.esa.es
News Mailing List:
http://xmm.vilspa.esa.es/external/xmm_user_support/xmm_news/
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Contents:
- Status of the RGS/MOS cooling
- Status of the Scientific Analysis Software (SAS)
- XMM-Newton Observation & Data Processing Status: update
- EPIC background files
- Users' Guide to the XMM-Newton Science Analysis System
Status of the RGS/MOS cooling
=============================
In XMM-Newton News #25 and #26, issued in November, the benefits of
reducing the operating temperatures of the RGS and EPIC MOS instruments
were discussed. The results of operating RGS and MOS at -110 and -120
degrees C, respectively, were reported. These include major reductions
in hot pixels and hot columns, and reduction by some factors in
charge-transfer inefficiency (CTI). The illustration of some benefits
achieved through the cooling, presented at URL
http://xmm.vilspa.esa.es/external/xmm_news/items/cooling02/index.shtml
speak for themselves.
Now, in mid-December 2002, we can confirm the benefits described
earlier, and also report that ongoing contamination monitoring
measurements show no sign at all of any contamination of the detectors
at their reduced operating temperatures. New, post-cooling, calibration
files (CCFs) have been derived for RGS and MOS and were initially
checked-out in the SAS by the first days of December. During the
cooling period, normal science observations continued on most
revolutions. Although some delays in data product generation were
anticipated in order to allow the re-establishment of the instrument
calibration after cooling, SSC made use of the intervening time to
tackle processing of some old, problematic, datasets which required
particular attention. So impacts of the cooling campaign on product
generation have been minimised.
Status of the Scientific Analysis Software (SAS)
================================================
A new SAS version (SAS 5.4.0) has been successfully built in the
last few days. It will be used in its Pipeline Processing System (PPS)
incarnation over the Christmas period for reducing the backlog in data
product generation. We expect to have returned fully to the normal
data production cycle between mid and end of January 2003. The data
processed over the Christmas period include the so-called Science
Validation (SV) data. These data are used for assessing the scientific
quality of the SAS and its associated calibration before every new
SAS release. The public SAS release can therefore only be done after
inspection of these SV data products. Assuming successful completion
of this exercise, it should be possible to release a new SAS by
mid-January.
Extensive calibration analysis has been performed by the instrument
and XMM-Newton SOC teams during the last couple of months; not
exclusively related to the MOS and RGS cooling campaign. This has resulted
in more than 80 new calibration files, some of which require the new
software included in the latest SAS version. Public release of these new
calibration files, which are already in use by the PPS, will take place
together with the SAS 5.4 in January.
XMM-Newton Observation & Data Processing Status: update
=======================================================
The XMM-Newton Observation & Data Processing Status page available at
URL:
http://xmm.vilspa.esa.es/external/xmm_obs_info/obs_stat_log.shtml
has been updated.
For observations of which the proprietary date has passed, the date
public now is a hyperlink to the postcard server in the XMM-Newton
Science Archive (XSA) and no longer a simple hyperlink to the XSA
itself.
EPIC background files
=====================
XMM-Newton background maps for the 3 EPIC instruments in their
different instrument/mode/filter combinations and in several different
energy bands have been constructed by Dr Andy Read (University of
Birmingham, UK), using a superposition of many pointed observations.
Event datasets for the different instrument/mode/filter combinations
have also been constructed, with longer exposure times than for
previously created files.
A description of the construction and usage of the background maps and
event files, along with details on how to obtain these background
products and related software can be obtained from the Univ. of
Birmingham web page linked on the XMM-Newton Proposer's Info and
Manuals SOC page available at URL:
http://xmm.vilspa.esa.es/external/xmm_user_support/documentation/
Users' Guide to the XMM-Newton Science Analysis System
======================================================
XMM-Newton SOC has released a major update of the Users' Guide to the
XMM-Newton Science Analysis System (SAS) which is available now in
different formats (postscript, pdf and html) from the XMM-Newton
Proposer's Info and Manuals Web page (Section: Data Analysis) at URL:
http://xmm.vilspa.esa.es/external/xmm_user_support/documentation/
This version of the Users's Guide (valid from SAS version 5.3 onwards)
describes the constituents of the EPIC and OM observation data files,
the standard pipeline processed data products and the SAS analysis
steps which, in general, have to be conducted prior to the scientific
analysis of XMM-Newton data products. We wish to thank all colleagues
whose comments made this a more complete and accurate document.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, and all our very best wishes
for a happy and successful year 2003. Feliz Navidad!
Yours sincerely,
XMM-Newton SOC
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